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Probably under contract with a team overseas
I was wondering why Manu didn't join SPURS in 1999 (or at least 2000) when he was drafted? What you think it would have happened if he did?
I mean, TP was drafted in 2001 and he joined SPURS inmediately, same with TD. But what about Manu?
Close this thread if there was another one with the same topic.
Probably under contract with a team overseas
When they drafted Manu in '99 they had no idea he was going to be as good as he turned out to be. I mean, they almost drafted Lucas ing Victoriano over Manu.
Yes but they didn't know TP was going to be as good too, however he joined in 2002 (Am I right?). Maybe the 57 pick was the reason..
TP was their first pick, They obviously had high hopes regarding Tony. Manu was the last pick of the '99 draft, when they drafted him they probably thought he would never play a minute in the NBA.
Copied from Wikipedia:
Ginóbili then entered the 1999 NBA Draft and the San Antonio Spurs selected him late in the second round with the 57th overall pick.[10] However, he did not sign with the Spurs at this point. Instead, he returned to Italy to play for Kinder Bologna, which he helped win the 2001 Italian Championship, the 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups, and the 2001 Euroleague, where he was named the Euroleague 2000–01 Euroleague Finals MVP.[6] He was also named the Italian League MVP in 2000–01 and 2001–02, and made the Italian league's All-Star game three times during this period.[6]
It was not until after the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis that Ginóbili joined the Spurs.
That's a good thing he didnt join us in 2000
I think Manu not joining us immediately is a blessing of disguise. Him playing to the Euroleague instead before NBA helped him to hone his skill and experience more.
Spurs scouts wheren´t that good, they didn´t really know manu skills, he was not under contract and the spurs choose not to sign him. He was inmediatelly Italian MVP and Euoleague MVP, he was already NBA material clearlly. Our observers just weren´t that good at that point and it took those awards from them to notice.
Plus they still gave him a pretty ty contract, Manu wasn´t a Scola for a little bit. If he was to resign the first contract with the Spurs, which was less that he could took in europe. He may had have a clause as expensive as Scola and maybe the Spurs never could have brought him over.
Performance in Europe does not generally translate well into NBA especially for guards. We have seen countless examples.
By 1999 Manu was just a project. Even himself has stated that, also adressing his surprise about his next 'monster' years in Italy. He's been clear that his mindset changed when he played for Messina in Bologna, playing for a big coach in a big team helped him develop his toughness which I think is what mostly has brought him success
By 2001 he was the best player in Europe but he took a risk by signing with the Spurs. Not a lot of great europe players have translated too well in the NBA: Jasikevicius, Navarro, Rudy Fernandez, etc. I assume that 2002 WC in Indianapolis helped his decition.
Manu's history and development is quite amazing
He's never been the highest flyer in the game. Even when you see his early Fiba days and Italy he seems to be a leaper, translated into the NBA he was average/above average-ish, in my opinion. Weird moves, IQ, and strange footwork combined with his creativity (which has been vanishing with the years) made the difference in his first year. I think it's nice that he has influenced some of the game world wide with his craftyness and effective use of the euro-step which now is being picked up by younger players as a normal move, while 10 years ago was very rare to see. James harden is 142 times less crafty than Manu and still finds efectiveness by using it.
Last edited by MmP; 12-31-2013 at 03:24 AM.
tbh it was obvious he was going to be a game changer for years to come as soon as 10 minutes into the first look you put at him.. Back then US scouts simply did not check european games, in that regard Manu will always have to be remembered as the one who made people change the way they look at international players.
He was playing in the second Italian division when drafted. His stint with an elite Euro team like Kinder Bolognia was then, while playing for an Euro legend Messina helped him a lot. But he became the player he's now while playing for Pop, by his second season with the Spurs.
nobody here knew who Manu was so he would have stayed in Europe for a few years and eventually come to the NBA but even more old and broken than in 1999
Manu has such a good story, got drafted 57th overall the announcers didnt even know how to pronounce his name no one knew who he was and now look what he has done with his career, such a special story he has
Anybody from you knows why the Spurs drafted Manu? Like what I heard from TP, Presti is one of the responsible for drafting TP.
still has room to improve
in finals he when it counts turns the ball over way to much
rember when it was manu or someone else and they chose to keep manu
Great year for the Spurs, their first le after many years and they get this beast.. Manu was a man among men in his prime and still can be at times.He used to play alot better in the finals when Parker would get sat for Speedy or Barry those two years when Parker was shook and getting bullied around. You are one to talk about the Finals and Manu based off one year he did not do well.
I actually think one guy that might have had a say with Manu being drafted is...
Mike D'Antoni. He worked the 1999-2000 year as a Scout for the Spurs.
The other guy the Spurs drafted and thought about was GORDAN GIRICEK, but he never played for San Antonio.
Idiot, you've been outdone by posters who are even more stupid than you. STFU, you're old and lame . . .
I bet D'Antoni regrets that now after all the Years Manu completely destroyed the suns over the years lol
The Spurs did draft Giricek over Manu.
I don't think Manu was much of a prospect in 1999. But he blew up bigtime at Kinder Bologna and back then spursreport was just going nuts about when the Spurs would finally sign him. Wish they could have signed him for the 2002 season; seemed like it took forever to get him in San Antonio.
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